


The Ring on The Chain

by Sapphire_Tornado



Series: Stan x Rick Verse [2]
Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: Gen, Vague mentions of Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 13:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3411908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphire_Tornado/pseuds/Sapphire_Tornado
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After cleaning the living room, Beth finds something of her father's and she must go to the source for answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ring on The Chain

**Author's Note:**

> Short little idea that I had after spending too much time on tumblr.

Beth sighed heavily as she surveyed the mess her living room had become. She knew she didn’t clean nearly as often as she should but this was ridiculous. It looked like the kitchen had thrown up. There was half-eaten food everywhere, cans of soda and beer littered the floor, empty chip bags and dirty dishes were piled high on the furniture.

“What a great way to spend a day off.” Beth muttered, starting in on the mess surrounding her.

Such a large mess took awhile to clean, longer when you were doing it by yourself. By the time Beth had made the room presentable again several hours had passed. She dropped onto the couch, groaning in exhaustion. Her groaning grew louder when she noticed the time, the kids would be home soon.

“Great” She let her head fall against the closest pillow.

Beth lifted her head in surprise when something cold touched her ear. She noticed a glimmering chain stick out from between the arm and the cushion. Beth tugged the chain gently, freeing it. She examined it curiously.

The chain wasn’t anything special, just a simple gold chain. The chain itself seemed familiar to Beth. She could almost remember playing with the same chain as small child. She could almost see her own chubby little fingers tugging at it against the fabric of her father’s shirts, almost hear his laughter as he told her not to pull too tightly.

“A ring?” Beth muttered, looking at the simple silver ring hanging from the chain. She had never in her memory seen what hung on her father’s chain. To be honest she’d just though he liked to wear a chain.

Beth examined the ring as she had the chain. It was almost as simple as the chain, just a thin uninteresting band of silver. It looked as though it had seen better days. There were little scratches and dings all around the outside and some spots were slightly discolored in comparison to the rest of the ring. But what stuck out most to Beth was the slightly worn inscription inside the ring. She had to squint to make out the fading words, but eventually she could make out what it said. Beth was shocked to read:

_I’ll promise you forever – SLP & RS_

A million questions began to run through her minds. Had her father been married before her mother? Why had he kept this ring when he left his other ring with her mother? Did he have another family that she’d never met? Was that where he went when he left? Could he have loved his other family more? He must have loved whoever gave him this ring more than her mother or he wouldn’t have kept for however long he'd had it, and judging by the marks on the ring he'd had it awhile.

Beth shook her self out of her thoughts. She couldn’t assume anything yet. She needed to confront her father first; get answers from the source. Taking a deep breath, Beth went to the garage.

Beth paused before opening the door, somehow she felt like she was intruding. That wasn’t right this was her house not her father’s. So why did she suddenly feel like she was seven years old again, wondering whether or not to ask her father to take her on one of his space flights. She reached toward the door, knocking first.

“Come in!” Rick barked.

Beth opened the door cautiously, all her emotions bubbling just under the surface in a mix of rage and child-like confusion. Her father was bent over another one of his pointless inventions.

“Dad...?” She asked.

Rick tensed at the uncertain tone of his daughter’s voice. “You want me to-to l-leave, don’t you?”

“No!” Beth said much louder than necessary in the small garage.

Rick turned to look at his daughter, a stripe of grease smeared against his left cheek. “Wh-what’s wrong…?” He trailed off, noticing the chain in Beth’s hand. He sobered immediately, wiping at his cheek as a distraction.

“Who was she?” Beth asked, holding the chain out to him.

Rick snatched the ring from her as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him, which Beth had to admit stung a little. “Beth-”

“No,” She cut him off. “I want a real answer. For once…" She sighed heavily, "Just tell me the whole truth.” Beth closed her eyes, fighting off the angry tears she hadn’t realized were forming. “Did you go to her after you left?”

“No.” Beth opened her eyes in surprise. Rick dropped his head, focusing on the small ring. “He’d ‘ve never taken me back.”

Beth’s eyes widen more than she thought possible. “He?”

Rick only nodded, gently stroking the initials of the inscription.

“Dad, what happened? Who was he?” Beth asked, her anger slipping into curiosity.

“A-the only person I’ve actually loved…" He looked at Beth before adding, "Romantically, a-at least.” 

“But what happened?” Beth asked. She wanted answers.

“Something stupid.” Rick said and Beth knew not to push any further just yet.

“Did he mean a lot to you?” Beth asked, moving to stand next to her father.

Rick nodded. “This was his promise to-to me.” He squeezed the ring into his palm, just shy of breaking the skin. “He knew we-we couldn’t marry but he wanted me to-to know he wanted forever...”

“But it ended.” Beth added.

“Everything ends Beth.” He said, pulling Beth to his side.

“Do you want to tell me about him?” She asked, side-hugging her father.

Rick pulled away from his daughter, shrugging. “His name w-was Stanley Pines. This L-” Rick pointed to the inscription. “Is for ‘ley because he had a twin named Stanford.”

“That seems like a bad parenting choice.” The father and daughter shared a look before they started laughing. Who were they to judge on poor parenting choices?

Calming down slightly, Rick continued his story. “Stan was wild. He liked getting in trouble, like a lot of trouble. Arrested and fake identity kinds of trouble." He smiled fondly. "I-I was a science assistant for his brother a-at the time.”

“What were you studying?” Beth asked, finding a clear spot to sit against the wall before sliding to onto the floor.

“Weird happenings in the town we were a-all livin’ in, Gravity Falls.” Rick slid down next to his daughter.

“Gravity Falls?”

“It was a weird place. Probably still is.” Rick said, putting the chain back on.

“So, this was before Mom.” Beth said, dropping her head on Rick’s shoulder.

“Yeah” Rick nodded, resting his head against hers.

“Did you ever really love Mom?” Beth asked, watching him toy with the ring.

“For a little while, I-I think.” Rick continued to fiddle with the ring around his neck. “Nothing really c-compares.”

Beth’s face scrunched in thought. “Dad are you gay?”

“No.” Rick shook his head. “He was the only one.”

“Do you ever wonder what happened to him?” Beth asked, staring forward at her father’s junk covered shelves.

Rick shrugged, jostling Beth’s head. They heard the kids entering the house and nearing the kitchen.

“You should go-go see how their days were. Or at least tell them that they're cleaning the-the living room next time.” Rick suggested, holding the ring tightly in his palm once again.

Beth nodded as she stood, walking back into the house. She knew she probably wasn't meant to hear the, “I do wonder," her father mutters quietly to himself. She'd never heard her father's voice take on such sadness or desperation. Beth pretends not to have heard, for his sake.

Shaking it off, Rick jumped up slipping back into his happy, inventor persona. "Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub.” He said, smiling to Beth as she turned to look at him one last time.

Beth smiled back, closing the door quietly behind herself. Morty and Summer looked at her in confusion, it wasn't normal that she'd go into the garage with only herself and her father. She ignored their questioning gazes, slipping into the stern mother role needed now. “You two need to make sure that living room stays clean this time. I’m not cleaning it again. It’s a waste of my day off. Next time you two get to clean it.”

Beth rolled her eyes at her children's groans and excuses, trying not to think of her father’s past and what it would have changed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> I might write a few more stories in this verse if anyone wants them.
> 
> Thank you to TheLadyEmDraws for this beautiful fan art for the story:   
> http://sapphire-tornado.tumblr.com/post/129328339122/theladyemdraws-ill-promise-you-forever-so


End file.
